THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 13, 1996 TAG: 9609130545
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 32 lines
Tidewater Regional Transit's board of commissioners has approved a preliminary agreement with Norfolk Southern Corp. to buy the right-of-way for the region's proposed light-rail line.
The agreement approved Wednesday by the Tidewater Transportation District Commission outlines solutions to four issues governing the purchase of the railroad right-of-way between Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Those four issues are price, liability, service to freight customers, and protection of Norfolk Southern's through-freight routes.
The agreement comes three months after Norfolk Southern officials expressed concern about having been left out of discussions over the proposed rail line.
Norfolk Southern owns 15 1/2 miles of the 18-mile corridor that transportation officials want to use for the commuter rail line. The current proposal is to run the light-rail line along an infrequently used freight corridor owned by Norfolk Southern that parallels Interstate 264 and Route 44.
According to the agreement, the asking price for the rail line's corridor has yet to be determined, but the land will be appraised by a real estate agent selected by both parties, at a cost of $100,000.
TRT will own the line, and all liability will be the responsibility of the commission. The TRT commission will be responsible for owning, operating and maintaining the rail line, including freight operations.
The agreement also outlines preliminary agreements to protect Norfolk Southern's through-freight routes.
KEYWORDS: TRT LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM by CNB